The Bonding
by Harry-Ginny1234
Summary: When Harry went to Diagon Alley that day, he knew something important was going to happen, he just didn't know exactly what, or who...
1. Chapter 1

**The Bonding**

A prequel prompted by the bond challenge on SIYE. The longer story will follow.

Chapter 1: Meddling Ancestors

"_Avada Kedavra_" said a high pitched voice, and a sickly green light lanced out striking the old Muggle caretaker. Harry Potter was aware of his body jerking as he tried to wake from what felt like a nightmare; instead, he found himself floating in a white mist. A moment was all the sensation lasted before his feet were on what seemed to be solid ground.

He glimpsed the area around him, and saw a large field. Off to one side was a clear pool of water; it was fed by a crystal stream that was flowing through the field. Nearby was a stone shelf, which was an inviting place to sit while he considered what to do. "Now what am I doing here, and how did I get here?" he muttered to himself.

"That is because I brought you here; we need to discuss some things in order to prepare you for your upcoming year at school, Harry." The voice was kind and gentle, what he had once heard a grandmother sound like when she was talking to her grandchildren. But it was a surprise, and he jerked around reaching for his wand as he did.

His hand closed on empty air, and when he looked around, he realized he did not have his wand with him. "Where...?"

"You will not need your wand. And could not use it here even if you had it." A benevolent looking older woman stood only a few feet from him. She had a tender air about her, and said while pointing to the place where he had been sitting, "May I join you?"

Harry noticed she had a cane, and was hobbling slightly. "I will not harm you, I am merely going to answer some of your questions, and give you some information you will need to know for the upcoming year."

"How... do I know that I can trust you?" He asked cautiously. "Especially after what I just saw and heard before arriving here."

"I can give you a thousand reasons why you should, and you will likely think of a thousand reasons not to for each one I give you." She responded. "So how about we do this. I will give you the information. Answer any questions about it that I can. And then you decide for yourself whether to believe me or not."

He looked around for a moment as he thought through his answer and then said, "Okay, but can you start by telling me your name, and how you know mine?"

"Of course," she replied. "I am known by many names, and have been called many things throughout my existence. In life I was known as Andella Gryffindor. Godric was my great-grandson. I was just one of many children sired by Myrddin Ambrosias. I am the oldest of a set of triplets. All of whom were very powerful witches. You are descended either directly or indirectly from all three of us, as well as at least four of my other siblings."

"But that would mean..." Harry began.

But was cut off by the old woman saying, "... That you are a descendant of Merlin... along with approximately eighty to ninety percent of the magical societies around the world, as well as more than sixty percent of the Muggle population of Great Britain." She laughed softly for a moment before saying, "Father never met a woman he didn't like. Or at least try to sleep with. The old grouch made your godfather look like a celibate monk." She cackled at this.

Her laughter didn't last for long however before she sobered and continued, "Now, as I was saying, Harry you will soon meet a young woman who will be very important to your future."

"Wh... who is she?"

"If I told you her name, it would spoil the surprise. Kids these days, they have no sense of drama." She said while shaking her head. "Some of your ancestors have decided to offer you a gift, and you want to know what is in the package before you unwrap it. Now when your eyes make contact with her. You will find your selves irresistibly drawn together."

"Well, when will I meet her?"

"The two of you will meet before school starts. Now you need to understand that you already know this young woman, but at the same time, you don't really know her. When the full truth comes out, there will be people wanting to control your future who will be very unhappy; however, she is the person you are destined to marry anyway. Fate has simply decided to change a few rules of her chess match and introduce the king of this match to his queen earlier than originally planned You will need to take care of a great many things after your mind and body discover what your heart, soul, and magic already know." She raised her eyebrows as the next question became obvious.

Harry was sporting a serious blush as he asked, "Is she pretty?"

Andella offered a chuckle, and replied, "Almost fifteen hundred years, and teenage boys still worry about the same things. Harry, I promise that you will find her beautiful, no matter anyone else's opinion of her appearance." She sat for a moment without saying any more before saying, "You will need to remember that between the two of you, there are no problems that cannot be solved by a simple kiss."

"Why a kiss?" He questioned.

"Now even with your limited background of growing up in this forsaken place, you are intelligent enough to figure that one out on your own." She shook her head as she laughed at his frightened look.

Taking a deep breath, Andella approached the last thing she would speak with Harry about this visit, "Harry," she had sobered in her manner, indicating this was something very important. "You need to pay close attention in class this year, because you will be facing the self-styled 'Lord Voldemort' during the upcoming school year."

"Not surprising, but when will I have to face him?"

"Well when do you usually face him?" she answered his question with one of her own.

"It seems to always be the end of the school year." Harry said without pause.

"Well this year will be no different. One last thing, you have a letter from your parents in your vault. You will need to go and retrieve it. It is charmed to only become visible to you and only you on your fourteenth birthday. And so that only you can touch it. Seems your parents were not as trusting of certain people as some would have you believe. Now you need to awaken, and I can tell you no more at this time. Write the letters you plan to write and be ready for the coming week. I will return to tell more when you meet your young lady. Until then, fair thee well."

As Harry is about to awaken, he asks one more question, "You said you were known by many names, what is the one you are best known by?"

"As I told you, I am known as Andella Gryffindor, but most people today simply call me Death. Now awaken my young heir..." Harry wakes with the memory of that discussion as if it were only a dream.

In the Morning Lands:

Death smiled as she walked a cobble stone path. She considered her chosen heir. He was a handsome young man, and would be much loved by all who truly got to know him. She approached a fountain in the little park and saw a little girl of about six or seven years of age sitting there. A soft chuckle escaped her as she spoke, "Well little sister, I have told him what you wished me to. Now Fate, you have never made an exception of not interfering in the past. Why now?"

"Let's just say, I am tired of the old man stealing all of Harry's gifts, and I will enjoy watching him try to steal this one." Fate giggled, and stood. "Now, to set the final part of this plan in motion." Her smile changed to a mischievous grin and she faded from sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bonding**

**Author's Notes:** Things are going to get interesting, but not yet. This chapter has Ginny's intro in the story. Yes I know I sound a bit rough on Ron, but he gets redeemed; eventually... but til then, on with the story. Yes, this story and its sequel will contain an extremely meddlesome Dumbledore.  
Also wanna thank my beta for his help. if he is reading this, he knows who I mean

Chapter 2: Meetings

Thursday Morning at number 4 Privet Drive,

Harry awoke and sat up; he looked around the room, and wondered to himself why he had awoken so early. Then the memory of the weird dream concerning Voldemort returned and he knew that it was important to write Dumbledore to tell him what he had seen.

Moving to his desk, he took a parchment, quill, and ink pot and dipping the quill, began to write:

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Normally I would not trouble you about this, but I was awakened this morning by a strange dream. In it, I saw an old Muggle walking through an even older house. He stopped outside a room, and overheard Voldemort and Pettigrew talking about some plan. And having killed some people. A giant snake saw him and told them he was there. He was invited into the room and after standing up to Voldemort, he was killed. I am unsure if any of this is real or simply a dream. I am asking Hedwig to wait for any reply you might have for me._

_Thank you,_

_Harry Potter_

_P.S. could you please get the other letter to Sirius for me? I would send it with Hedwig, but she is to easily recognisable._

He looked over the letter deciding to add the postscript after he wrote a different letter to Sirius, keeping him up to date on what was happening:

_Padfoot,_

_I hope everything is going well for you, and you are safe where ever you are hiding. Just a letter to let you know that I am still doing okay and that the Dursleys are not treating me too badly. If Uncle Vernon gets angry, I simply remind him that he would hate to have you drop by to check up on me. He doesn't know you are out of the country and would likely not be able to come here even if you weren't. I wouldn't want you to get caught just to scare my useless relatives._

_Also, I had a strange dream last night, and I think Pettigrew found Voldemort, and they are back in England. Wait to see what Dumbledore says about it, I sent him a message along with this one asking him to please send it on to you._

_That's all for now, _

_Your godson,_

_Harry_

After reading over both letters again to make sure he forgot nothing, Harry turned his attention to his trusted owl and said, "Hedwig, I have a delivery for you." He stroked the feathers on her head as he said this. Then tying the letters to her leg, he said, "I need you to take these to Professor Dumbledore, and wait for a reply." She rubbed her head against his cheek and then took flight.

He watched until Hedwig was out of sight, and then decided to start his day. Gathering clean clothes, he made his way to the bath and took a quick shower. He then proceeded down the stairs and began preparing breakfast.

When the Dursleys awoke an hour later, Harry had already eaten his breakfast, and had prepared their usual fare. His aunt questioned him about why he had gotten up so early; he explained that he had a bad dream, and rather than try to go back to sleep, he had decided to get an early start preparing breakfast.

He got his list of chores and began work; _I wonder what Dumbledore will say about the letter? Will he expect it, or will he be surprised? _He thought to himself as he worked.

Harry finished his chore list around mid-afternoon, and after a late lunch, retreated to his room to ponder the other thought which kept coming to mind. He made the decision to go to Diagon Alley the next day, just before a grey fluff ball entered carrying a small letter. Reading the letter from Ron, Harry was excited to see that he would have the opportunity to go to the Burrow for the last week of summer holidays.

That evening, his uncle called him downstairs, and showed him the letter from Mrs. Weasley. After a brief discussion, it was decided that he could go, and since he needed to go to get some things for school, they would be best to meet Harry in London.

He returned to his room, and wrote a short message to Ron telling him that he would need to stay Friday and Saturday night as well. He would meet Mr. Weasley in Diagon Alley Friday afternoon, if they could. If not, he would stay at the Leaky Cauldron and meet them there Sunday.

Early that afternoon at a castle called Hogwarts, it was lunch time, and all of the teachers were in the Great Hall, because they had a staff meeting immediately afterwards. As they were eating and talking, Sybil Trelawney sat up rigidly, and began to talk in a gravelly voice which was clearly not her own.

THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO DEFEAT THE DARK LORD IS CURRENTLY UNBOUND...

HE MUST BE PROPERLY BOUND TO INSURE VICTORY...

FAILURE TO BIND HIM PROPERLY WILL RESULT IN THE DARK LORD'S VICTORY...

THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO DEFEAT THE DARK LORD IS CURRENTLY UNBOUND...

After a moment, she relaxed and, looking at her fellow professors, said, "I'm sorry, must have dozed off there for a second. Did I miss anything important?"

Every mouth hung agape, except for Dumbledore's. He had entered the Great Hall just as the prophecy began, and was already considering the possibilities. _What could she have meant by properly bound,_ he wondered. _And how will this affect my plans for Harry?_ He continued to ponder the prophecy as he held the letter he had just received from the afore mentioned youth. As the time approached for the meeting, he made the decision to consider all the options later.

Friday Morning at the Burrow,

Ginny Weasley awoke to the smell of her mother's usual breakfast preparation. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and went to take a shower. The water was warm, just how she liked it, and soothed her mind. For some reason, she had dreamed about her first year at Hogwarts, and had remembered some of the more painful things Tom had made her do. Those memories were almost as painful as the actual events.

After her shower, she stood in front of the floor length mirror and examined her body. She studied the physical scars she still carried from the event, scars that only her mother and Madam Pomfrey knew about. She examined herself from head to foot, and was pleased to note that she otherwise appeared normal. She was dressing quickly, and hoping that there would still be some breakfast left; as she fastened her bra she felt a snap, and the old cloth the garment was made from broke.

"Oh, bugger." She moaned. "That was my last one that fit." She put her dress on, and ran back to her room. "I hope one of my old bras will fit well enough for me to wear it until I can get a few new ones." She was in luck, and although it was tight and a little uncomfortable, she would be able to use it until she could get to the store.

She pulled out all of her pocket money, and smiled when she counted three Galleons worth in Sickles and Knuts. That would be enough to get five new ones with simple sizing charms included. The only problem was she wouldn't have enough left to get any souvenirs at the World Cup next Monday.

Ginny sighed, and then spoke her thought out loud, "I was really looking forward to getting a few new posters, but I guess that will have to wait. I could still ask mum to buy them, but we will need all we have because of the boys needing dress robes this year." She made up her mind and started out the door to talk to her mother, when she was called to hurry or there would be no breakfast left.

There were all six of her brothers, her father, and mother. The conversation around the table was almost exclusively Quidditch World Cup. Ron had gotten a response from Harry, and told his father that Harry would need to be met at the Leaky Cauldron that evening.

Ginny took this opening to say, "Mum, You and I could meet him; I need to go buy some things." She conspicuously adjusted her bra hoping her mother would get the hint.

Molly Weasley, understanding her daughters need for a little privacy said, "Can it wait until next Monday when I am going anyway?" a quick shake of her head was Ginny's answer, and Molly sighed, "Oh very well, we can go this afternoon."

Predictably, Ron began whining, "Why does Ginny get to go and not me, Harry's my friend not hers."

Realizing that a simple direct answer was the quickest way to put a stop to it, Ginny responded before Molly could, "Oh, alright Ron. You can come help me shop for some new bras and knickers." Ron of course immediately turned redder than a human should be able to, and began to stutter excuses about why he should stay at the Burrow.

"Umm... m-m-maybe it would be b-b-best if I s-s-stayed here, I n-n-need to clean my r-r-room; rearrange again to make enough room Harry to have a camp bed also." He quickly left to the laughter of his older brothers.

Ginny smiled at Ron's reaction; then, after finishing her breakfast, excused herself to go straighten her room so Hermione would have a place to sleep when she arrived on Sunday.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bonding**

a/n: two quick notes, first, for those of you who may worry that I won't finish it, this story is already finished. It would be completely posted already, but my beta and I are really working it over, to make it the best it can be. And second I know some of these things are a bit cliché, but you can only redo an idea so many times before it becomes so. Personally, I will just say in my own defence, "it is hard to improve on a really good idea."

For any other questions about other stories, see my profile.

Also, if there is still any question, this story should be considered as if all events in cannon occurred until the end of chapter 1 from book 4 _GoF_

Chapter 3: WHAT WAS THAT!

Harry had awakened on Friday to the thought that he would be leaving by noon and had rushed to complete the last minute chores his Aunt had for him to do. He had packed the night before and had sent Hedwig ahead to the Burrow with a letter saying he would see them when he could.

His aunt called him as he was leaving and asked, "How are you getting to London?" Most people might mistake this for concern, but Harry knew she was trying to make sure he did nothing embarrassing to the Dursleys.

"I plan to take the Knight Bus; it can pick me up anywhere, anytime." He put his hand on his trunk and said, "Shrink." Then turning back to his aunt when she scowled, he said, "I didn't do any, it was a charm I had placed on it last summer when I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron."

She narrowed her eyes as he picked the reduced trunk up and placed it in his pocket. Then with a smile and a wave, he walked out the door to the nearby park. There was a secluded lane where joggers liked to run early in the mornings, but which would be deserted at this time of day. He looked around making sure he was alone, and no Muggles were around. Then he raised his wand arm and...

"BANG!" a violently purple triple decked bus appeared and stopped just in front of him. The door opened and a pimple-faced young man stepped down and began to recite "Welcome to the Knight Bus..."

Harry cut him off, "Hello, Stan. I need to get to the Leaky Cauldron please, how much?"

"Eleven Sickles." Stan Shunpike, the conductor, said. "Come aboard."

Harry nodded and quickly counted the coins from his money bag handing it to Stan as he climbed in. Unlike the last time he had been on the bus, there was not a bed to be seen anywhere; instead, there were all manner of chairs and couches. _Makes sense, _Harry thought, _people don't need beds to sleep on during the day._

"If you will take a seat, quickly, we can get underway. Oh, not running away this time, are you, Neville was it?" He laughed as his own joke, reminding Harry of his mad dash from Privet Drive the previous summer.

"No," he said by way of reply, "Not this summer, just getting a little shopping in before the World Cup next Monday." And with that began an hour long conversation between the three about Quidditch, and the teams in the finals.

Three stops later, Stan said, "Watch your step Madam Barnes." Then pressing a button on the rail by his chair, "Next stop, Leaky Cauldron, five minutes." And they were off again.

Harry stepped through the archway behind the pub and into Diagon Alley. A glance at his watch told him it was just shy of thirteen hundred hours, _one in the afternoon and the earliest Mr. Weasley will be here to meet me is around five or so. That should be enough time to get all my business taken care of. First stop is Gringotts, and then I think I will get some ice cream. After that, I'll see how much time I have left, and maybe do some shopping. _He ran through a mental checklist of the few things he could do before meeting with the Arthur Weasley to go to the Burrow.

"Guess I should get started," he muttered to himself while making his way toward the white marble building that served as the Wizarding bank in England. A flash of memory from his dream two nights previous came to him; a kind old woman saying that he needed to go to his vault to get a letter from his parents for his fourteenth birthday. Feeling prompted that this was the primary reason for his visit today, he couldn't shake a premonition that something special and extremely important would also happen very soon.

He walked into the bank and approached the first available teller, "Sir, I would like to go to my vault please," presenting his key for inspection.

The Goblin merely glanced at it before turning to another and saying, "Griphook, take Mr. Potter to his vault."

The second goblin nodded and said, "Yes, sir." Then to Harry, "Follow me."

As Harry was boarding the cart, the two Weasley women, mother and daughter, stepped out of the Floo and into the Leaky Cauldron. They started toward the back door and were joined by Bill as they made their way into the alley behind the Cauldron. Molly began, "Now Ginny, we need to go to Gringotts to get..."

Ginny quickly said, "Mum, I have enough pocket money to get what I need. Also, didn't Percy want us to get him some owl treats for Hermes?"

"Yes, thank you Ginny dear," Molly said relieved that Ginny was taking some responsibility for herself. She was still a little girl in her mother's eyes, but she was beginning to grow into a responsible young woman that any mother would be proud to call her adult daughter... eventually. Turning to her son Bill, who was accompanying them because he needed to go to Gringotts to get some money from his vault; she said, "Bill, we won't be long, and should be through in time to meet you at Gringotts. I should go ahead and get the money I will need for school shopping next week, which will save me one stop on Monday. I also need to get a little money for groceries. We'll pick up the owl treats on the way home afterwards."

They passed through the archway and went to their separate destinations. Bill going toward Gringotts, and Ginny and Molly going to Gladrags Wizarding Wear. As they entered, Ginny went to the sales witch behind the counter and gave her order. It took approximately ten minutes to pick out the ones she wanted, and have the sizing charms placed on them. Molly used the time to browse for dress robes for her three youngest sons. She paled at the prices, but managed to find some that could be repairable. Making note of the prices so she could budget all her available funds.

"Okay, mum. I'm ready to go," Ginny said and they both left the clothing store. As planned, they headed toward the bank where they would meet Bill, and wait for Harry.

They were entering the lobby of Gringotts when Ginny at the front door felt her attention pulled toward the carts; thus, her chocolate brown eyes met the emerald green ones of Harry Potter who was coming from the carts. Their gazes locked and suddenly, there was no one else in the world, only the two of them.

Without actually realizing what she was doing, Ginny Weasley began to walk toward Harry Potter. She had absolutely no idea why she felt compelled to approach him in this manner, but when she was within arm's length, they enfolded each other in a very tight hug.

At that moment in his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore sat pondering what changes he would have to make to his plans for one Harry Potter. "That prophecy said he had to be properly bound, but to whom. At first, I thought that I should be the one to take him as an apprentice; however, I now believe that I should have Severus be the one he is apprenticed to. It would be the easiest way to insure his spirit stays broken, and he doesn't grow too strong..." A wave of magical power passed over him, and distracted him from his thoughts.

Without warning, most of the silver trinkets in his office began to spin or react out of control. Then one by one they exploded, as if they had been overloaded with magical energy. The one that worried him the most; however, was the one monitoring the wards around number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surry. It had glowed a very bright white light before simply disintegrating.

A very pale Dumbledore stood quickly and called, "Fawkes, take me to Harry Potter immediately. The wards around Privet Drive are gone."

A quick trip by phoenix fire later brought the aged wizard to the lobby of Gringotts where he witnessed a sight that first puzzled, then angered, and finally terrified him. Two teenagers were wrapped in a very tight hug, and to his great distress, no one could approach them including himself.

"This cannot be," he muttered repeatedly. "This just cannot be."

As Dumbledore pondered what to do, a small group of elderly goblins came from the back offices of the bank and approached the scene. The oldest looking waved his hand making some magical gestures, and studied the results which appeared as letters in an ancient script. "Interesting," he said. Then turning to a younger aid said, "Prepare a meeting room, and bring all the information of the Potter and Evans family vaults. Also have an ancestry parchment and basin ready."

Turning back to the people surrounding the young couple, he said. "I will move them to a private meeting room where they can finish this introduction in peace and with fewer observers." He said indicating the lobby and the many people currently standing around.

With a calm hand gesture from the elderly goblin, the teens rose from the floor and floated along behind him as he made his way to the ordered room. Two of the others accompanying him collect Molly and Bill. However, Dumbledore was turned away. The goblins never really liked the old man, and every opportunity to tell him of his being unwanted was gladly indulged.

"But I am the boy's guardian. I should be there to advise him on any matter."

"I am sorry to inform you of this, but Mr. Potter's guardian of record is a Mr. Sirius Black. As he was never given a trial, his imprisonment was illegal, and did not remove him as the guardian. And even he may not be present unless requested by Mr. Potter."

Dumbledore paled as his previous anger returned. He had to get into that room in order to stop Harry from freeing himself from his control immediately. The wards around Privet Drive might still be repairable, but he had to act fast. And that meant getting Harry away from the Weasleys. "I must insist as the legal representative assigned by Sirius Black that I be allowed in so that I may protect Harry's interest in this matter..."

"It does not matter who you are, or even whom you represent, the law states that only immediate family members are allowed to be with the couple at this time."

"What law, as a member of the Wizengamot I know of no such law. And I also have an extensive knowledge of the laws of other races and nations. No such law exist..."

"Believe that if you will, but the law I speak of is older than your ministry and many other nations as well. It dates back to the time of Atlantis, and Avalon. 'No one may interfere with the bonding of two souls at the peril of their own life.' It is a basic law of magic. Set down by the ancient gods of magic, and every magical race and nation has accepted it as fact. Now if you have no business of importance, I must see to summoning Miss Weasley's father to be present for the meeting."

And with that Dumbledore was dismissed as he would have dismissed a student's claims of Snape being biased. He was stunned that he had been dressed down by a goblin of all people. That was one reason he had secretly worked to insure many legislations had been passed to remove their control of the Wizarding world's economy. They had failed so far, but this was new ammunition to use against them as a means of crushing them once and for all.

"Preposterous, soul-bonds are a myth everyone knows they are. I need to see what can be done about this information immediately." Dumbledore mumbled to himself as he stared at the door the teens had just been led through.

He was leaving the bank minutes later, when a very distraught Arthur Weasley arrived. The patriarch of the Weasley clan had only a moment to study the face of Albus Dumbledore, and was even more worried because the old man gave no reassurance that all would be well. He entered the lobby of Gringotts to find an older goblin waiting to usher him into the meeting concerning his daughter and, if he received the message correctly, a certain Harry Potter.

In a town called Little Hangleton, many miles from London; there stood an old manor home where one Tom Marvolo Riddle, more commonly known as Lord Voldemort, sat plotting his return to power. At least until a wave of magical power passed over him.

This passing event brought forth an emotion never before known by Voldemort; it could best be described as abject utter terror. He had never felt such power before and he instinctively knew that to confront this being would definitely end badly for him and his plans for world domination.

Across the room from the reigning dark lord, a small rat like man wet himself as the thought that he had chosen the wrong side on the coming war passed through his insignificant little mind. He immediately began praying to whatever deity would listen; he did this in the hope of never having to meet the being that had released that burst of magical power. He remembered encountering the same feeling when attending the wedding of James Potter and Lily Evans; although, it was on a much smaller scale.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Bonding**

Chapter 4: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Harry stared at the somewhat familiar landscape; he knew he had been here before but could not recall when or how recently. He quickly became aware of the person standing beside him. She was about his height, and had red hair. He recognized the hair, but had trouble remembering from where.

Then she turned to face him and he saw the face of his best friend's little sister. Stepping back in shock Harry found himself looking up and down, and not just at her face. She was clothed with a unitard, a single piece of cloth that reached from her ankles to her neck and wrist, leaving only her hands, feet, and head visible. It was only the barest nod to modesty; the fabric was skin-tight, and left him with no doubt it was her only article of clothing. She certainly had nothing on underneath.

Another thought came to him, and he quickly glanced at himself, noting that he was wearing the same type of clothing. This relieved him somewhat; he definitely didn't want a girl seeing his scrawny body. Not that it was as bad as it used to be, but it was still thin, without much visible muscle tone.

Harry returned to his inspection of Ginny, and quickly realized that this was a young woman facing him, and not a little girl as her brothers had encouraged him to see her. Her body was beginning to develop the curves that would soon define her as a woman. This brought thoughts of a more intimate nature, and he immediately began to blush.

Seeing him blush and where his eyes were focused caused Ginny to begin blushing. Harry saw this, and his got worse, and neither seemed to do anything except blush more. The worst part of all was that neither could look away from the other. This might have continued for an eternity if not for the soft giggle that interrupted their line of thinking.

Harry then took notice of where he was, and remembered the large field, clear pool, and crystal stream. Turning to his right, he drew Ginny's gaze to the rock shelf, where sat a benevolent looking older woman. She said, "both of you please be seated, we have only a few minutes, and I have much to tell you," and gestured for them to sit by her. "You weren't expecting to be back here so quickly were you Harry."

"No ma'am," he began.

"Tut, tut child. Always address someone by their proper name. You may call me either Lady Andella, grandmother, or as I am known now, Death." She told them both.

Ginny whimpered at the last name given, and then glanced at Harry. He seemed to be at ease, and this started to calm her.

The older lady smiled gently before saying, "Ginevra, you have no need to fear being here with Harry. This is a representation of what each good person sees when they arrive in the morning lands. You are not dead, and I am only here to answer a few questions in the time you have here. I will not be collecting your soul for a very, very, very long time. And it will likely be my successor who does that."

"Yes Lady Andella. What do you have for us," Ginny asked shakily.

"Direct and to the point, good. Well, now that you two have found each other, we can discuss what has happened to you." She paused for dramatic effect. "First, you are here because your bodies need a short amount of time to adjust to the magical bond forming between you. When that is complete, your souls will be drawn back and you will awaken. There will be some disorientation, but it will pass quickly."

"What type of magical bond?" Ginny asked. "The only bonds I know of are the Life Debt, the Apprentice Bond, and the Marriage Bond."

"It is similar to the marriage bond, and it is far stronger; it will also leave you with many gifts and responsibilities. This is called a Soul Bond. It has only been seen four times in the last twelve thousand years, and is considered by most to be a myth. However, you will find that you are now considered married, and will be technically adults, even if not officially."

"Umm, do we..." Ginny began as she glanced at her body.

"Not yet child. Your body will need some time to finish developing before the bond will let you go that far. But you should try to feel comfortable around each other while naked, or things will get awkward between the two of you. There are stages in the development of a soul bond, and this is just the first, and will usually last for about two or three days. Then some time during the next year, the remaining abilities will develop. These will include: sharing feelings and emotions, sharing senses, sharing memories, speaking telepathically, far more powerful magic, and larger reserves. This last is what your bodies are adjusting to prepare for."

"What do you mean by sharing memories?" Ginny asked almost managing to not sound fearful. "Will we have nothing secret? At all?"

"Any and all secrets will be open for the inspection of the other, and the ones you most want to keep will be the first." Gesturing to each of them in turn. "Each of you has a secret you are afraid to share with the other. You should decide now to share what you are most afraid of so it will not be so shocking when the memory is shared."

"But there must be some way to prevent this from happening." Harry said.

"I am sorry, but even if you decided to remain here for eternity that would only slow the process slightly. You see, there is no way to truly end a soul bond. You can kill those involved, but nothing can separate the two now. Not even the death of one of you. And if you were to be forcibly separated, the results would be devastating."

"How devastating?" Both asked simultaneously.

A sad look came over Death's face as she answered. "You have both heard of the island of Atlantis correct?" Two quick nods in the affirmative, and she continued. "About twelve thousand years ago there was a young couple who soul bonded, and their parents disagreed. So they were separated and taken as far apart as possible.

They both died because the bond was not completely formed. Their deaths released a magical surge that wiped the continent of Atlantis from existence. Nothing survived for nearly two hundred miles around. The modern day island of Bermuda was barely outside the zone of death and destruction."

As she finished, the looks exchanged between the young couple made it plain that they were considering it might be a price worth paying to keep their most intimate memories and secrets from one another. So she played her ace card, "Could you go through eternity, knowing your own fears were what ended millions of lives?"

Obviously, they had not thought of this consequence. They sat shame faced for a minute, before deciding it really would be a price that was too high to pay.

Harry was the first to speak, "How long do we have to prepare for that?"

"Maybe a few months, maybe just a few days, there is no way of knowing for sure. Each case is different, and even if you had waited and initiated a marriage bond when you were older, you would still share those memories to an extent. The soul bond would have started then if not now, and you would have far more to deal with than you do. If you had waited, you would have had to fight your body's natural urges to procreate. You would not have the time provided by being so young to slow that part of the bond."

"Ahh," she said looking up, "the time for you to return has come. You will need to hold hands as you pass through the portal, so that you can leave together just as you arrived."

They both looked worried, and felt more so. There was no way to know what kind of situation they were returning to. Ginny gripped Harry's hand for reassurance, and he drew her just a bit closer as they approached the doorway.

At the last moment Harry turned and said, "Is there anything you forgot to mention."

"Yes, one thing, you will need to remain in physical contact for the entire time of the bond's first stage. About forty-eight hours, more if you are fighting it, or are separated. Simple cleaning and freshening charms should make it possible for the two of you to get past this test with no problems. Good luck, to you both." With that said, she faded from sight, and Harry and Ginny, after taking a deep breath, stepped together though the portal back to the world of the living.

Once they had gone, Andella reappeared and said, to her companions, "Those two are going to be even bigger trouble makers than you lot." She indulged herself with a soft chuckle as did many of those around her before she continued. "Still, it will be interesting watching the anarchy they are about to unknowingly unleash on a certain Hogwarts headmaster, and all of his carefully laid plans."

This brought a cackle from the youngest looking of the bunch as she rubbed her hands together in expectation of what was about to begin. "More than even you know dear sister. More than even you know."

Back at Gringotts, Arthur and Molly were desperately worried about their daughter, and the young man she was currently attached to. Bill, their eldest son sat talking with an older goblin in passable Gobbledegook. He thought that he had recognized some of the symbols that had accompanied the old banker's diagnosis charm.

What it meant to him was that his baby sister was forming a marriage bond with the Potter boy. He was questioning if he had read the runes correctly, hoping he hadn't. This was not something that should to be able to happen, what caused him the most worry was that he had only seen those ideograms associated with the words disaster, destruction, and devastation. And then, they appeared only in the oldest of the tombs he had searched.

The oldest goblin present finished shuffling through some files on his desk and then checked his pocket watch. "If the ancient records are correct, these two should awaken within the next five or so minutes." He said to those assembled as he glanced from his watch to the two teens and noted that the energy barrier around was weakening.

Turning his attention specifically to Molly, he said, "Madam Weasley, please refrain from separating them for the moment. Again, if the ancient texts are correct, doing so will have a devastating effect; because, it will instantly kill them."

Molly turned a baleful eye on the goblin, and Bill, realizing his worst fears were just confirmed, spoke softly to his mother, "Mum, he is telling the truth. The diagnostic charm he used earlier told me enough to know that separating them would instantly kill them. I feel as you do, but isn't it better to have them alive, and with us than in an early grave."

"What did they say, Bill?" his father asked.

"That Ginny is forming some kind of marriage bond with him." Bill said gesturing to the teens. "But..."

He was cut off by the elderly goblin at the desk, "Mr. Weasley is both correct, and he is not. These youngsters are forming a bond, but it is not a simple marriage bond."

Molly spun around in her seat where she had sat perched to pounce on the children and separate them. While she had nothing against Harry, and even hoped for him to be his future son-in-law, she was most certainly not going to allow them get together this young... not if she had anything to say about it. "They are too young, and besides, no one preformed the necessary charm to begin the bonding..." she said this matter-of-factly, in a self-assured manner.

"Unfortunately," the old goblin continued, with the air of someone who was attempting to explain to an unruly child why one plus one equals two, "... or rather fortunately, this particular bond has never had any charms or incantations associated with it. And it has only been seen three other times in the last twelve thousand years."

"The disasters spoken of in the oldest Egyptian tombs..." Bill said, "They were caused by this type of bond..."

"Again, you have only part of the information, William. Those disasters were not caused by the bond, but by the forced separation of the bond mates."

Molly whimpered, "What type of disasters are you talking about?" she asked.

The goblin returned his gaze to Harry and Ginny as he said, "You have heard of the small continent of Atlantis?" All three humans paled at the mention of the first and only truly magical kingdom. "The second was not as bad; it only destroyed about two-thirds of the island they were living on. But there were still no survivors of those who tried to separate them. In both cases, they were separated immediately after awakening as these two are about to do."

About that time, Harry and Ginny both awoke. They stretched and yawned, and then turned to take in their audience. "Mum," Ginny asked almost hesitantly while gripping Harry's hand as tightly as she could.

Her mother sat and looked at them for a moment before gesturing Ginny to approach. "Ginny, are you okay?" her hesitation at first was obvious but was quickly overtaken by her need to mother her children. "Let go of Harry's hand and come here."

Hesitating only a moment, Ginny pulled Harry with her and said, "We can't mum. What that story didn't include was the fact that everything within two hundred miles of Atlantis died in the magical explosion, caused by the couples separation and subsequent deaths. We were told by one of Harry's ancestors, while we were for, lack of a better word, asleep, that we are more powerful than that couple could have ever been."

"Separating us would cause a magical explosion that would destroy cities as far away as New York in America, and perhaps even Cairo in Egypt. Not to mention everything closer than that. It would kill everything within that area instantly." Harry bowed his head as he told his 'family' what he and Ginny had agreed to tell everyone present when they awoke. "It is imperative that we not be separated for any amount of time until our magical cores stabilize. To do otherwise would not be pleasant for anyone."

Molly wanted to say something, but this revelation frightened her into silence. Of the other four persons in the room, two goblins and two humans, only the measured breathing of each could be heard as they processed the information.

Finally Arthur found his voice to ask the question all three Weasleys wanted an answer to. "How long before you will be able to separate?"

"What about sleeping arrangements and bathing?" Bill asked. "I certainly don't think you are old enough to share a bed or a shower either..." Molly nodded her agreement.

"Well," Harry said, "as for sleeping, we could stay in the family room. I don't think it would be the most comfortable, but this is only supposed to take two or three days."

Ginny followed quickly with her own answer, "As for bathing, mum will just have to help us by transfiguring our clothes into pyjamas in the evening, and back again in the morning. And freshening and cleaning charms will have to do for that time."

Harry said finished, "As for using the loo, there are charms for that also. I have learned about a few things during my frequent stays in the hospital wing each year."

Both of them stood hopefully in front of Molly Weasley, with pleading smiles and waiting for her response. They knew that Arthur would have something to say, but if they could win Molly to their side, the overall battle would be won. She started to speak three or four times, but finally stayed quiet.

"How would you sleep any easier in the family room without sharing a bed?" this question was from Bill.

"We only have to keep touching, simply holding hands is sufficient. We could sleep on separate cots, and have someone lash our hands together," was Harry's reply.

Then he turned to the goblins present, and asked, "Is there a reason you needed to see us, sirs? I was not aware of needing to do anything other than go to my vault for a letter my parents left for me."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I am Ragnok, Director of the Gringotts bank here in London, and you will find what I have to discuss with you very important. Please, all of you take a seat. I will begin by saying that as of approximately forty minutes ago, the two of you are technically married, and by virtue of this fact, are both also considered adults, when dealing with all things relating to the magical world." Spoke the younger goblin, "And I am honoured to introduce Mackrack, the head of Gringotts worldwide."

Mackrack stepped forward and said, "The Potter family has been a long time business associate, and we hope to continue this with you and your wife. We have here an opportunity to help you and the Wizarding world both at the same time. All we need from you is a little patience, and three drops of blood on this parchment." Here he indicated the ancestry parchment and the small silver coloured basin containing a clear liquid.

Unsure of what to do, Harry looked to the elder Weasleys, but it was Bill who answered his unasked question. "Harry, this ritual is something you would normally have to ask for, and it would cost at least 1000 Galleons, usually more. For them to offer this to you in this manner, it is the equivalent to them giving you a gift."

Harry's gaze returned to Mackrack who gave the slightest nod to indicate what Bill said was the truth. "Although it is rare, goblins are often willing to give a gift, especially if Gringotts stands to make a hefty profit from doing so. The small basin contains a special potion which will reveal any vaults that you are entitled to inherit now that you are considered, at least technically, an adult. We will dip the ancestry parchment in it to determine this."

Harry turned questioning eyes to Ginny, and her affirmative nod gave him the final nudge to accept the offered ritual. "How do I do this, sir?"

"Take the ceremonial dagger on the desk, and cut your the tip of your right ring finger. Then you will need to place three drops of blood on the parchment, as close to the centre as possible. Finally we will dip the parchment in the potion basin, and while the spell runs its course, you, your bond mate, Mackrack, and I can discuss the Potter and Evans family vaults." Ragnok explained as elder goblin took a seat behind the desk.

"Normally, we would ask any others to leave," Mackrack said, while staring pointedly at the older Weasleys, "but as the two of you are young, they may stay if you wish it. I am aware that you may want their advise on some of the matters we need to discuss."

Ginny spoke up, "Mum, you may want to get back home quickly, Fred and George alone and unsupervised; we all know that is a bad combination. Dad and Bill can stay with us, and help advise Harry if he needs it."

Molly started to complain, and then realised Ginny was giving her a way out of a situation that might cause her some real discomfort. She sat thinking about it for only a minute before saying, "You know Ginny; I think that is a good idea. I still need to get some things done before dinner, and your father is more than capable of looking after you two." She paused and then leaning over kissed Ginny on the cheek, and whispering, "We need to talk about a few things after you get back to the Burrow." Then remembering something continued, "with both of you." This time indicating Arthur also.

She then kissed Harry on the cheek and said, "I guess I have to welcome you to the family a little earlier than planned." Finally to Arthur and Bill, "I am counting on you to look after these two until they get home." That said she kissed Bill on the cheek, and then Arthur with a bit more passion. The cheeky smirk she gave him made the reason for that kiss obvious. She then left the room, and was escorted to the main lobby by a security goblin.

Back in the meeting room, Mackrack passed over the files on the Potter and Evans family vaults and other holdings. "these are all of our records concerning your monetary and material holdings. You will note the separation of family heirlooms. The Evans family was a separate family from the Potters, and your mother was the first magical person born into her family after over eight generations of non-magicals. As such, she inherited her family's legacy, and as her only descendant, you now inherit that."

"This is not as unusual as some wizards would have people believe." Ragnok continued. "Many of the ancient Wizarding families have died out because they only had non-magical children or squibs as you would call them. Then generations later, sometimes only one and other times as many as ten, a magical child will be born into that line and recover their family's heritage."

Harry sat staring at the parchment in his hand. If he was reading the numbers correctly, this was a reasonably large vault. "Okay let me make sure I understand this correctly. It says that in the Evans family vault, there is: 370,000 Galleons, 43,000 Sickles, and 85,000 Knuts in cash. It also contains family heirlooms worth just over 37,000 Galleons at the current values; is that correct?"

"That was correct as of the first of August, 1994. We update the records on the first of every month, and account for any expenses coming out of the vault, as well as any money paid in due to investments. When your mother inherited it, it was much smaller, through her careful investing it has grown to the amount you see before you." Ragnok answered.

Mackrack took up the explanation, "That inheritance also contains three properties, your grandparent's summer home, the house at Godric's Hollow, and a small home at number four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey."

Harry stared at the paper before him, and did indeed saw the properties listed. His mother had purchased the house for her sister to live in. The house he had been little more than a slave in for ten years. Then he noticed the notation that his mother had wanted Harry to continue to allow his aunt to live there without interference from the magical world.

The other two houses were his to do with as he wished. A listing of businesses Lily Potter nee Evans had invested in was even more interesting. According to the list, he was majority shareholder in a Muggle company called Grunnings Drills; he was also majority owner of a professional Quidditch team called the Holyhead Harpies. He noticed some excitement from Ginny concerning this latter fact, and made a mental note to ask her concerning her interest.

He saw that his father James had given it to his mother Lily as a gift on the day Harry was born. He had done this because it was her favourite team. Nothing else of interest really stood out to him as he explored the account summary.

"Do you have any questions thus far, Mr. Potter?" Ragnok asked.

"No," Harry replied, "Everything appears to be simple and easy to understand. You mentioned that a new statement is printed every month. Would it be possible for me to receive a copy of each one for the last thirteen years? While I am sure your records are accurate, it is safe for me to assume that certain persons not employed by this bank may have caused problems that I feel I should be made aware."

"I believe that would be easy enough to arrange." Ragnok acknowledged. "We could provide you with a copy of each update from the first of October 1981, so you will see every change in your balance from before your parent's death."

Harry agreed, "That would probably be best." Then he quickly asked, "How much would that cost?" Bill and Arthur both paled, because they knew that so many account statements could get really expensive.

However, before either could say anything, Mackrack said, "one-hundred seventy-five Galleons per account should cover the entire cost involved. That would be twelve statements per year for twelve years, plus ten statements in this current year." The older goblin looked from one human to the next as if he were waiting for any of them to make a comment about the amount.

"That sounds expensive, but if what I suspect is really the truth, it would be a small price to pay to learn of it." Harry said before the others could speak.

"The Parchment appears to have a few minutes left," Ragnok commented. "Shall we review the Potter Family folder while we wait?" he directed Harry's attention to the larger of the two account folders in his hand.

"Is there anything you would suggest that I look for in this one?" Harry asked both Goblins.

"I would suggest that you review the current statement, and then we can answer any questions you might have for us." Mackrack said. After hearing this, Harry opened the Potter family folder, and reviewed the list of vault holdings, before he promptly fainted.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bonding**

Chapter 5: THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY

Everyone sat momentarily stunned at Harry's reaction to the information in the folder. Then they began to act all at once. The goblins began to chuckle, at same time, Arthur withdrew his wand and quietly said, "_Enervate_." And Bill quickly cast a spell binding their hands together to insure they were not separated.

All the time, Ginny sat holding Harry's hand tightly. She was so intent on keeping her grip that she was surprised by the ribbon, which shot from Bill's wand, when it wrapped around both Harry's and her clasped hands. Glancing at her eldest brother, she smiled and said, "Thank you."

"Better to be safe than sorry," was his reply. As he saw the tension quickly leave his little sister, he felt a small measure of relief. She had been so intent on keeping hold of Harry's hand that she had that she had momentarily lost awareness of everything around her.

Now that she didn't have to worry, she took the folder from Harry with her free hand, so he wouldn't drop it. A quick glimpse of the page contents told her everything. Harry had fainted in shock because he wasn't expecting the account to be that big. Judging by the first vault number alone, this was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, vault in Gringotts.

Feeling Harry stir, she looked up and met his eyes. She held the folder out to him with a shaking hand, and smiled tentatively as she said, "I would probably have fainted too. That is a lot of money."

She indicated the first page of vault listings. It read:

_Potter Family Vault Contents as of August 1, 1994:_

_**Vault #3 (EXTREME HIGH SECURITY):**_

_4,813,817,246,910 Galleons_

_2,624,579,102 Sickles_

_931,774,208 Knuts_

_Various personal items including Jewellery, Gemstones, Books, and Family Heirlooms (Each listed separately on following pages along with standard values based on current exchange rates.)_

_**Vault #117 (Medium Security):**_

_213,437,453 Galleons_

_487,569 Sickles_

_88,458 Knuts_

_Other items including: deeds to all properties owned, contracts, family portraits, heirlooms, and family signet ring. (Each listed separately on following pages along with standard values based on current exchange rates.)_

_**Vault # 342 (Normal Security):**_

_4,700,000 Galleons_

_250,187 Sickles_

_27,000 Knuts_

_Other items including: family photographs, household furnishings, and school trunks of James C. Potter and Lily E. Potter nee Evans. (Each listed separately on following pages along with standard values based on current exchange rates. Contents of the school trunks are considered to be of a personal nature, and thus were not included individually.)_

_**Vault #687 (School Trust Vault):**_

_52,000 Galleons_

_18,700 Sickles_

_1,450 Knuts_

_This is everything except for a letter addressed to Mr. Harry J. Potter which has appeared since the July 1, 1994 accounting._

"I didn't know there was that much money in the world. Let alone in one vault. Where did all of that come from?" Harry said.

"Very simple Mr. Potter," Ragnok began. "Through careful planning, management, and investing; your ancestors have left you with a sizable inheritance."

"If you continue following this pattern, then you could leave an even bigger one for your own children." Mackrack interjected. "We would suggest that you discuss with someone that you trust, and determine your options. I would recommend that you avoid spending any really large amounts until you have done so. The firm, your parents and grandparents, trusted to oversee their investments, is currently still responsible for them, and a letter of introduction is included in that folder to help you contact them in the event of any questions you may have."

"Umm... okay," Harry began. He glanced at both Mr. Weasley and Bill, wondering if either of them had a comment or perhaps guidance for him. Both simply stared back with nothing to say. Harry turned to Ginny and asked, "Have any advice?"

"Well... until we learn more about what is included, I think it would be best to leave everything as it is. I mean, you can always change it later if the need arises... right?" she blushed at the thought of being asked for her opinion about such a large amount of money. Having never had more than a little pocket money herself, this made her feel exceedingly self-conscious.

Harry was just as nervous, and decided to accept her suggestion, mostly because he had so little idea what to do on his own. "Very well, we will take that course. I will contact them by letter later this afternoon: I would definitely be happy for any assistance they may be able to offer concerning investing this much money."

Ragnok spoke up, "Mr. Potter, it would probably be a good idea to ask them to contact you monthly with a list of recommendations for your future investments, and a summary of current ones."

"Thank you, sir. That would be most definitely appreciated." Harry concluded just as the ancestry parchment began to float above the potion in the basin.

"Well, Mr. Potter, shall we see if there are any other vaults for which you are the primary heir." Mackrack said.

With a sigh, Harry agreed, "Might as well get this over with in one visit. I know we are taking a large amount of your very important time."

Both goblins smiled at the attempted compliment. Ragnok said, "Assisting important clients is part of our responsibility. And if you doubt your importance, to us, please refer to the information in the first vault listing." This brought chuckles from everyone in the room.

Mackrack snapped his fingers, and a glow surrounded the basin just before it projected a display above the desk on which it sat. Seven numbers appeared in the display:

_**#2, #78, #187, #248, #274, #341, #562**_

Each of these was followed by a brief description of the contents. Except for vault number two, it had a notation: _**contents and value unknown**_. This caused everyone to sit awestruck as they each considered their own thoughts.

Arthur as an employee of the ministry knew that the ministry's funds were in vaults number fourteen through twenty-five, and if that were considered, then Harry's inheritance would be of such financial gain that he could literally purchase the ministry if he so wished. Bill as an employee of Gringotts knew that many of the oldest vaults were from the oldest families. He had not seen that Harry's list of Potter Family vaults had included number three, and was thus surprised at the appearance of number two.

Everyone was obviously surprised, or someone might have thought to laugh at the perfect fish imitation Harry and Ginny were performing. Both sat staring at the display mouths opening and closing in perfect synchronization; neither of them was willing to believe their eyes.

While the wizards were coming to grips with the fact that Harry was richer than any other person in England, and quite possibly the world, Ragnok had summoned an assistant, and sent him to retrieve the files for the new vaults. Mackrack, on the other hand, could only grin; because, he was about to find out something that goblins at Gringotts had wondered for over 1500 years. All any of them had ever known was that vault number two had been sealed by Myrddin Ambrosias. And the doors were charmed to only open to his chosen heir. Since that time, many had come forward claiming to be his chosen heir, but the charms on the doors had allowed none of them to enter the vault. Nor had an ancestry parchment displayed them as qualified heirs for it. This was the first time in that 1500 years of history that anyone had met the qualifications to claim it.

Finally, Harry broke the general silence, "Umm... could we simply review the information of those accounts, and then Ginny and I come back at a later date to explore these vaults? No offence meant sirs, but it is almost tea time, and I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Of course, that may in fact be better. Much of what we will need to discuss with you will require a visit to some of these vaults, and they are best scheduled ahead of time." Ragnok said. "You will need to sign some forms, and as noted, vault number two has no information about the contents, and we will need to inventory the contents, so we may keep our records current."

"We will need to have you here in order to do so; because, no one can enter that vault without the current owner present to accompany them." Mackrack said. At that moment, the assistant returned carrying a stack of folders.

The top one was very thin, and it was the first one Mackrack opened. He removed the single piece of parchment, and after a cursory glance handed it across the desk to Harry. "This will explain what you need to know. It was left by the originator of the account vault number two is tied with."

Harry accepted the letter and carefully read it:

_To my descendant and chosen heir;_

_I am sure that most of this will come as a surprise, but I have seen you and your bond-mate in a vision. I have also seen some of the trials you will have to face, and have endeavoured to provide you with written guidance and counsel that will assist you in the coming years._

_My darling daughter Andella, and her sisters, will help you if they can, but they have many responsibilities of their own to fulfil. Also knowing those young rascals as I do, they will have told you some things about me that may have surprised you. Permit me to defend myself against their accusations by saying, 'No I did not chase every human female I saw; merely the pretty ones.'_

_Now back to important matters, the materials within the vault are for the eyes of you and your bond-mate alone. If you feel you can trust someone with your life completely, then they may be allowed to learn the teachings I have left for you. However, I would strongly caution against simply trusting to friendship; because, while friends may be trustworthy, they may not always have the best of judgement. You should share with them only what they may need, and nothing more._

_One final topic, alternate forms of magic usage... there are many who consider the use of a wand as the highest ideal of magic, and look down on those who can use magic wandlessly as less than themselves. However, these same witches and wizards use it in this manner themselves and often without knowing. You should broaden your knowledge and let nothing hold you back, learn all of magic that you can, and be prepared to use it to defend the weak and innocent. You should take the time to learn your animal form, and there is a shelf of books in that vault which will assist you with that area of study alone._

_I have also included a book on the topic of soul-bonds. It will help you as you progress through the one currently developing between yourself and your bond-mate. You should retrieve it at the earliest possible opportunity. And by that, I mean the day on which you receive this letter. You will find it on a table immediately to your left as you enter the vault._

_The tasks ahead of you are conquerable, but only if you work hard and remain strong. I have seen what will happen if you succeed, but I have also seen what will happen if you fail. The amount of good which will result from success is equal to the amount of bad which will result from failure. There are those who will say I should spare you this knowledge, but I find that leaving a champion unprepared often tends to get him or she killed._

_Until we meet in the next world, I remain your ancestor, and proudly so,_

_Myrddin Ambrosias_

After re-reading the letter twice, he passed it to Ginny who said, "All I can see is the words, to my descendant and chosen heir. Other than that, it's blank."

Mackrack noted, "The vault has remained closed since he sealed the doors personally. No one, not even the goblins assigned to oversee his account, have been able to enter it. The letter is charmed so that only his chosen heir can read it, so if you want anyone to know what it says, you will need to tell them. It appears that even your bond-mate is included in that, as she sees nothing other than an introductory statement."

Ginny handed the parchment back to Harry, and he paused a moment to read it once more. Then looking back to the room's occupants, he summarized, "It tells me that the vault contains mostly books and scrolls on the topic of magical learning. Also, he cautions against telling just anyone specifics about what is in the vault..." Harry trailed off as he pondered how to say the final things then he continued. "The rest of the letter is an inside joke, and some advise on where to start reading. That is all it says."

For some reason, Ginny felt uneasy listening to Harry so she spoke up. "You are not telling us something, Harry Potter. What else does it say?" she demanded.

At first, Harry wanted to feel angry at Ginny for catching his omission, but then he decided to answer, because their time was short. "He said that he saw both possible outcomes of the approaching war. He said victory for the light would bring excellent happiness, and that victory for the dark would be horrific, both to the greatest extreme."

"You mean Tom?" Ginny whispered knowing the answer even as she asked.

"Yes," Harry replied. "I thought it was simply a nightmare the other night, but I know now that Tom Riddle is definitely back in Great Britain, and he has at least one faithful servant with him."

Then looking thoughtful, he turned to Bill and asked, "Have you ever encountered any reference to a spell, or magic ritual, which would allow a wizard or witch to bind a portion of their soul to an inanimate object such as a book? Whenever I think about it, some of the things that Tom said to me in the Chamber of Secrets would only make sense if he were a living soul, and not just a memory in a book."

Bill paled very quickly, and both goblins hissed angrily. Arthur pondered Harry's question for only an instant before he realized the true implications. Ginny merely sat with her head bowed, and shoulders shaking with near silent sobs. The memories of her possession and near death were still too fresh for her to think about without feeling the need to cry. She turned to Harry and buried her face in his shoulder.

Her father saw Harry's near panic at this moment, and he calmly took Harry's free hand and placed it around Ginny's shoulders. He then whispered, "It will help if you gently rub her back."

After taking a couple of minutes to compose himself, Mackrack said, "I take from your question and comment that you have encountered one of these foul abominations." The angry glare had still not left his face. "And from your bond-mate's reaction, I assume that she was affected by it as well."

Harry nodded and after a moment said, "Yes, it was a book containing something, similar to a soul, and it tried to possess and kill Ginny. I managed to stop it, and rescue her before it could succeed. I shoved a Basilisk fang through it, and it somehow destroyed it."

Both adult wizards exchanged questioning glances, neither had heard this particular contemplation of the story, and they were both just as eager as Harry to learn the answers to their new questions.

Bill was first to answer, "I have read references to such things, but have never encountered them directly, to my knowledge at least..." Bill trailed off. His gaze returning to Mackrack to see what the ancient goblin had to say on the matter.

Mackrack explained his earlier outburst. "It is the darkest of dark magic, something that only the most evil and cowardly of magical beings would use. It is so evil an act that decent people do not willingly speak of it openly. The object is enchanted to receive a portion of the evil being's soul. It is then used as part of a ritual where the soul is injured, and a small piece of it is broken off and magically tied to the object. This has the effect of preventing the soul of the being from passing on to the next life in the event that the body is killed.

"The reason it is considered so evil, is because the catalyst for injuring the soul to be divided, is the murder of an innocent person. It is rumoured that the younger and more innocent the victim, the stronger the magic of the ritual will be. I know little more than this, but if you are speaking of the last dark lord," he spat out the name as if it were something truly foul tasting, "Then he is not dead as is currently thought. Even if that item was destroyed, what is left of his soul would remain in this realm until he was returned to a body and then killed."

"I have encountered it already. In my first year, a teacher allowed himself to be possessed by it, and died when it fled at the end of that school year." Harry said. "It was looking for a means of regaining a body then, and it probably still is."

"That is interesting," Ragnok said. "We will look into it further, and try to determine if anything else is known about them. Perhaps even a means of trapping or destroying the main portion of the soul.

"Now, here are the papers you need to sign. When we have completed this, you can gather whatever you need from any of the vaults, and be on your way. " He then passed the necessary parchments to Harry for him to sign, in order to take control of the vaults he had inherited. This confused the humans, other than Arthur, him being a ministry employee.

Finally Ginny voiced the confusion both she and Harry were feeling, "I hate to ask this out now, but will the ministry have any problem with Harry signing all of these documents? I know you said that we are both technically adults; however, there are doubtless some who will not be happy with this turn of events. Are there things those people can legally do to cause us problems?"

After a minute of thoughtful silence, Ragnok turned to the young couple and said, "The answer to your question is not quite so simple. Because of the bond you both now share, the two of you are considered to be adults in the magical world. But there are those who would balk at your being considered adults because of your ages. You are a married couple. The filing of paperwork at the Ministry is a formality your father can see to at a later time. But for all intents and purposes, you are Mrs. Potter, and Lady of House Potter. And he is Lord Potter, head of the Potter family. We will need to go into more detail in that discussion at a later time. As to those who would interfere, the laws are quite clear, and it has been internationally accepted that there is to be no interference with a soul-bonded couple at any time."

Mackrack took up the answer, "Doing so would be considered attempted murder at the least, and... well, not be survivable at the worst."

At first Ginny paled, but then she visibly relaxed. Thinking of a piece of information everyone had seemed to forget, she turned to Harry and asked, "Do you have any idea if your parents had a will, and if so what did it say?"

"I don't know of one, but I hope they did." Harry responded.

"Of course they did," Mackrack said, "and the investment firm we gave you the contact letter for is associated with the legal firm that handles all the legal matters for the Potter family. They will assist you if there are any other questions about family legal matters, as well as getting you a copy of your parent's last will and testament."

"There, that completes all of the paper work. I will have an assistant escort..."

"No, Ragnok. I will escort them personally. I have always wanted to see what is in Vault number two, and this may be my only chance." Mackrack informed his subordinate, "I will leave the details of all this filing for you to sort. Please have a summarized report delivered to me by tea time tomorrow. I will be at my home in the mountains." Rising to escort the humans to the mine carts, he whispered so only Ragnok could hear, "I am counting on you my son, not to fail me."

He took the ancestry parchment, and handed it to Harry, along with a small crystal. "Whenever you wish to see what is written on the parchment, place the crystal on the centre and say aloud, 'I am Lord Harry James Potter; I wish to view my ancestors.' It will then display the parchment enlarged to read. You can go to each person individually, or see whole family lines at once."

They left the office and made their way to the carts. As they did, they were joined by a second goblin who Mackrack introduced as Grimlok the senior account manager for some of Harry's new vaults. As vaults number two and 187 were among those, he would be accompanying them on this visit.

Harry greeted the new goblin, and was rewarded with a nod of the head. He then noted that Bill was very pale, and said, "Are you okay, Bill? You look very sallow."

The oldest Weasley child found his voice after a few seconds and said, "I would have never expected the goblins to give this many honours to one wizard... I... I... umm, I always knew you were important, but I never knew it was this important. I mean..." he stuttered to continue before Mackrack cut him off.

"No one in the Wizarding world knew of the Potter family's true importance here at Gringotts. If not for young Mr. Potter's ancestors, Gringotts would have never been founded. We accord them this courtesy as a way of saying thank you for that early assistance." By now they had boarded the cart, and were racing down to the lowest levels.

The ride lasted almost fifteen minutes, and everyone was wondering what would be inside the ancient vault. Mackrack spoke up after a few minutes of travel. "For reference, your vaults are the only two of the first thirteen which do not belong to Gringotts directly. They were opened at a time when we as a race were just beginning to get along with humans. We had been at war almost constantly for the previous ten-thousand years, and those two families had been the first ones to trust us with the responsibility of looking after their family's fortunes."

They arrived at the door to vault number two, and both goblins stepped from the cart. "Lord Potter," Grimlok spoke for the first time, "You and your lady will need to follow us; however, your father- and brother-in-law should remain in the conveyance until the charms on the doors have recognized you as the new owner."

"There is no need to worry," Mackrack explained, "The charms have never seriously harmed anyone who tried to enter this vault uninvited." And then with a chuckle, he continued, "At least not permanently."

"But you need not be concerned for your safety, Lord Potter. Please remember that none of those people have ever been named as heir to this vault by an ancestry parchment. And the same person who placed the charms on this door, made the basin we develop those parchments in. It cannot lie to us about anything."

Glancing at the older Weasleys for only a moment, he turned his gaze to Ginny and gently squeezed her hand. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be," was her reply, and they approached the door.

Grimlok motioned to the door and instructed, "You simply have to place your hand against the door, and state your full given name. No titles or other names will be necessary."

Following these instructions, Harry placed his right hand in the centre of the door, and stated, "Harry James Potter." The group then stood waiting for almost a minute before the sound of locks clicking echoed through the alcove. Harry looked at the letter from Myrddin and said to Ginny, "The book we need is on a pedestal, immediately to the right of the door when we enter. We should look at those near the door to see if anything else looks good for studying."

When the door was unlocked, it split down the centre, and each half slid into the wall adjacent to it. Harry stepped into the room only to feel himself held back by the hand holding Ginny's. "Lord Potter, you will need to invite anyone else to enter with you. Otherwise, the best we can hope for is to stand here at the door and watch you walking around inside." Grimlok said.

Harry paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, sorry. Ginny, Bill, Master Grimlok, Master Mackrack, and Mr. Weasley, will you join me as I explore this vault." With that, they each joined him inside the vault in the order they were invited.

The vault itself was humungous it would have been easy to situate Hogwarts castle and many of its surrounding buildings inside of it with room to move around easily. Harry looked immediately to his right, and found not one but three books. The top one was about soul-bonds and the other two were about methods of becoming an Animagus, and Dragons respectively.

Harry stood and marvelled at the fact that the man considered to be the greatest wizard to date had left everything in this vault to him. And then he amended the thought, it had all been left to Harry and Ginny Potter to use as they needed and saw fit. Looking around once more, he noted that the walls appeared to be lined with books and that there were balconies about every ten feet up the side to facilitate an easier time reaching higher in the stacks.

Mackrack stood looking around the entirety of the massive room. He and Grimlok were the first goblins in a millennium and a half to see the inside of this vault. The pedestal in the entry way, where the accounting parchment would be placed was covered in dust almost a foot thick. He watched as Grimlok cleaned the dais, and carefully placed the parchment on the stand.

Arthur and Bill Weasley were both staring around the vault, mouths agape. Neither had ever imagined that so much money and material could exist in one place. For his part, Bill had seen many tombs and the large treasures in them; however, this one vault could easily hold every one of them, and still have plenty of room to spare.

Ginny was standing next to Harry looking through the books on the shelf immediately beside the door. In addition to the three on the pedestal, she had pointed to two more that appeared to be of some help to them in the coming year. One dealt with Transfiguration, and the other with Potions.

After ten minutes of searching the shelves, no other books of any real interest were found. The group set out by cart back to the bank lobby. They travelled at a faster pace, and made it back in a record time of only nine minutes. The group made their way from the cart tunnels, and bid each other good-bye.

Harry, Ginny, Bill, and Arthur quickly made their way to the Leaky Cauldron, where they decided that Bill would side-along Apparate both the teens back to the Burrow, while Arthur would use the Floo to arrive first and insure a peaceful arrival for Harry.


End file.
